The present invention relates to a medicine supply apparatus for filling a medicine bottle with medicines contained in a tablet case by a quantity designated by a prescription in a hospital, a dispensing pharmacy or the like.
Heretofore, medicines prescribed by a doctor are supplied to a patient by use of a medicine supply apparatus in a hospital or a dispensing pharmacy. That is, in this type of medicine supply apparatus, medicines (tablets, capsules, etc.) having a quantity described in a prescription are discharged one by one from a tablet case via a discharge drum to fill a medicine bottle.
In this case, a plurality of horizontally juxtaposed tablet cases are vertically stacked in stages. The medicine bottle is moved along the backside of the cases, conveyed to a predetermined tablet case, and filled with the medicines discharged from the tablet case (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,085,938 and 6,592,005).
In this case, the medicines discharged from the tablet case are detected by a sensor, and counted based on an output of this sensor to fill the medicine bottle with the quantity of the medicines designated by the prescription. Heretofore, any kind of medicine has been discharged at a similar speed. Moreover, this medicine discharge speed has been set at such a certain speed as to prevent any trouble in the detection by the sensor.
On the other hand, for example, when the medicine has a small size or a round shape, a time required for passing through the sensor shortens. Therefore, it is known that any trouble is not generated in the detection, even if the discharge speed is increased.
Moreover, the medicines discharged from the tablet case are detected by the sensor, and counted based on the output of this sensor to fill the medicine bottle with the quantity of medicines designated by the prescription, but the medicines sometimes overflow a container because the container is excessively small or for another reason.
Furthermore, when a tablet case capacity is enlarged, and the quantity of the medicines to be contained in the case increases (especially in a case where a height of the medicine increases), a load applied to the discharge drum disposed in a bottom part of the tablet case becomes remarkably large. Therefore, the trouble occurs in rotation of the discharge drum, and there is a problem that a discharge defect is caused. When the load increases, the discharge drum is to rotate while pushing the load, and the medicines are strongly thrust upwards by the discharge drum in the tablet case.